A Summer Full of Backyard Safaris

Summertime has arrived and that means it is time for kids to play outdoors, have a break from organized play and have some time for imaginative exploring. It is time for watching the intricate design on a butterfly’s wings, catching fireflies and listening to birds, frogs and such. Backyard Safari Outfitters has a wonderful line of “equipment” for explorers ages 5 and up. I got a close up look at the whole line at Toy Fair 2011 in February and now I have received two items in the line to review.

A basic building block in this line of backyard exploring gear is the Essential Field Gear Utility Belt. The belt features two adjustable d-ring loops, a canvas pouch and space for two collection bottles. The set is filled out with a specimen vial bottle and clip for the belt, a field compass, a bug vac holder (the vac is purchased separately) and a pop-up Essential Field Guide. A guide is included in all sets.

A fully equipped field gear utility belt will make any 5 – 8 year old feel ready to explore the backyard and beyond. The equipped belt will encourage exploring the wonders of nature and the compass will make learning about direction fun. The Field Guide gives lots of ideas on what to do on your backyard safari.

I have also been looking at the EXPEDITION ONE 3-in-1 Compass and it is sure to be an intriguing tool for the young backyard explorer. In addition to being a compass, it has a LED signal light that lets you flash secret Morse code messages. There is also a flip-out magnifying lens for taking a closer look at nature. This set has a field guide with 6 outdoor missions and an iron on patch for when they are completed.

Backyard Safari is a complete line of outdoor adventure sets. Two of my other favorites are the bird watching and rock collecting sets. There is a lot to learn with these sets – either on your own – or perfect for working with a grandfather. I am always looking for things that grandparents can do with their grandchildren and this line really captured my attention. Kids today seem to have less time to explore and learn about the simple things in life. This line encourages that and will make it fun and exciting. Check them out and if you grandchild likes them build it set by set and make the whole summer a fun nature adventure.

Backyard Safari Outfitters is produced by a relatively new company, Summit Products founded in 1995 so my grandparent readers -  this is a name you may not have looked for before but should definitely be checking out. They are on the Toy Industry Association's Safety Standards & Technical Committee and winners of a bunch of awards. The toys really encourage fun and learning by discovery. These sets are very affordable - they can be bought separately and then added too as interest grows. Have a new one each time your grandchild visits and plan a new activity. Help them collect the whole 20 patch set.

Backyard Safari Outfitters is available at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and Target.  So no matter where you shop, you'll see at least some of the sets.